Ethiopia - Regular Departures To Omo Valley Cultural Route

Cultural Tour Highlights

Visiting the peoples of the South Omo (cultural route) is an enriching and educational experience. Up to two dozen tribes inhabit the area and we visit villages and local markets in the hope of meeting many of them. The most famous are the Mursi, renowned for their clay lip plates, but there are many other vivid encounters. Whilst the emphasis of the trip is on the people, we also visit the Rift Valley Lakes with their beautiful scenery and fertile surroundings, and we are likely to see a wide range of mammals in Nechisar national Park.

Departure Dates for Cultural Tour in 2010

Departure Code

Departure Month

Guaranteed Last Minutes of arrival based on local time (GMT+3)

Availability

AET 046

23 - 31 January

24 January before 05:00 am

Closed

AET 046

15 - 23 February

16 February before 05:00 am

Closed

AET 046

19 - 27 July

20 July before 05:00 am

Yes

AET 046

16 - 24 August

17 August before 05:00 am

Yes

AET 046

27 September - 5 October

28 September before 05:00 am

Yes

AET 046

18 - 26 October

19 October before 05:00 am

Yes

AET 046

15 - 23 November

16 November before 05:00 am

Yes

AET 046

13 - 21 December

14 December before 05:00 am

Yes

Explanation of some terms in the Above Table:

⇒ Departures are scheduled to find at least one important local market

⇒ Guaranteed Last Minutes of arrival:- a person whose flight schedule doesn’t allow an arrival on the 1st day of the tour; he/she can safely join the group if he/she arrives in Addis Ababa 2 hours before the group check- out from the hotel in Addis Ababa to drive to the Omo Valley. Please find this last minutes information in the above table within the row of your chosen dates.

AET 046 Ethiopia – Regular Departure Cultural Tour

Transportation: On surface with 4X4. Duration: 9 days

Dates

Activities

Drive Distance

Drive Length

Activities Level

Day 01

⇒ Arrive in Addis Ababa meet and greet, get assisted for transfer
⇒ City tour of Addis Ababa
⇒ Briefing about the tour. Panorama Hotel

Variable, but the hotels and the sites are centrally located

Variable

Very simple day

Day 02

⇒ Drive to Arbaminch via Hosaena
⇒ Tiya stelae field UNESCO world heritage site
⇒ Adadi Mariam, the only southerly rock hewn church
⇒ Gurage and Oromo people and their villages. Soma Lodge

432km the longest in the route

8:00 am to 6:00pm with the activities

Busy day with long drive and activities, Sandal shoes is good for the drive and sightseeing

Day 03

⇒ Full day in Arbaminch
⇒ Nech Sar National Park game drive
⇒ Boat trip on Lake Chamo, birding and spotting hippos and crocs. Soma Lodge

70 –80 km round trip to the park. 12 km to the lake in the afternoon

8:00am to 12:30pm for the park.
15 minuets to Lake Chamo

Tough driving to the Park with moderate walking. walking shoes is preferable

Day 04

⇒ Drive to Jinka
⇒ Tsemay, Bana and Ari people and their villages
⇒Markets if this day coincides with market days. Goh Hotel

245km

6 hours

Moderate driving with simple walk, Sandal shoes and shorts are good for the drive and sightseeing

Day 05

⇒ Excursion to Mago
⇒ Mursi Tribe, their women are famous for Lip plates and men for ritual fighting with stick
⇒ Drive back to Jinka and continue to Turmi
⇒ On the way Ari and Bana People
⇒ Dimeka market (Saturday and Tuesday) Camping

300km

Full day with activities

Tough drive and busy day with activities. Walking shoes is better. The car parks at the site that needs only very short walking

Day 06

⇒ Full day in Turmi
⇒ Excursion to Omorate for the Dasenech tribe
⇒ Turmi market (Thursday)
⇒ Boating on the Omo River
⇒ Hamer tribe and their villages
⇒ Tribal dance or Bull Jumping rite, occasional and optional. Camping

70km to Omorate
38 km to Dimeka market

2 hours to Omorate and 1 hour to the market

Moderate walking within the market and to the villages. Walking shoes required

Day 07

⇒ Drive back to Arbaminch
⇒ Visiting on the way Erbore and Konso tribes. Soma Lodge

285km to Arbaminch

6 - 7 hours

Moderate, walking shoes is better

Day 08

⇒ Drive to Awassa
⇒ Detour for Dorze people
⇒ Back to the road and head to Awassa. Pina Hotel

275km

6 hours

Moderate drive with simple activities

Day 09

⇒ Fish Market at Awassa and birding
⇒ Drive back to Addis Ababa
⇒ Retire the remaining day or optional activities and
⇒ Moreover in the evening Ethiopian traditional night. Departure

275km

5 hours

Moderate drive with simple activities

Some Important Facts About This Tour

Group Size

♦ Minimum number for guaranteed departure is 2 persons

♦ Maximum: 8 persons

Tour Length:

♦ 9 days

Accommodation:

♦ In Addis Ababa: 4 star

♦ Out of Addis Ababa: Basic hotels and protected camping ground

♦ Basic: clean room, cold and hot shower and private toilette

Activity level: simple

♦ convenient for mixed age group

♦ All sites are approachable by car followed with very short walk

♦ The longest walk to reach the site after the car/boat parked takes 15 minutes with average walk.

Transportation:

♦ with well kept 4X4 Land Cruiser

♦ 2 – 4 with 1 Land Cruiser

♦ 5 – 8 persons with 2 Land Cruisers

Insurance:

♦ your own arrangement before arrival here

Late departure:

♦ Please let us know before you depart your home town so that we can reach you with different advice.

Language:

♦ The tour is directed with English speaking Guide.

Vaccination:

♦ The region is a Malaria reported area. Please see the Ethiopia Travel Fact part at the bottom of this page.

Money exchange:

♦ Out of Addis banks are rarely available through out the route.

How to book this tour:

♦ Please click the Itinerary button above and at the bottom of the detail itinerary click again Book AET 046 button, complete the form and hit submit.

Private Excursions and Extension Tours

If you either arrive earlier or depart later than the group you are joining, day Tours and a selection of Special Interest Tours or other tours of the various regions are also available as Private Excursions. Send us your request HERE